Bypass vs Anvil Pruners — Which One Do You Need?
Share
Walk into any garden centre and you'll find two main types of pruning shears (secateurs): bypass pruners and anvil pruners. They look similar, but they work very differently — and using the wrong one for the job can damage your plants and frustrate you. Here's everything you need to know to choose the right pruner for your garden.
How Bypass Pruners Work
Bypass pruners work like a pair of scissors. Two curved blades pass each other — one sharp cutting blade and one blunt counter blade — making a clean, precise slice through the stem. The cutting blade passes by the counter blade, hence the name.
Best for: Live, green stems and branches up to 15–18mm thick. Roses, shrubs, herbs, flowers, fruit trees, and most general garden pruning.
Why they're better for living plants: The clean, scissor-like cut causes minimal crushing of plant tissue. This means the wound heals faster and there's less entry point for disease.
How Anvil Pruners Work
Anvil pruners have a single straight cutting blade that closes down onto a flat metal plate (the "anvil"). The stem is crushed between the blade and the anvil as the blade cuts through.
Best for: Dead wood, dry branches, and tough, woody stems where a clean cut isn't critical.
Why they work well on dead wood: The crushing action is actually an advantage on dead or very hard wood — it requires less hand strength to cut through thick, dry material. Anvil pruners are easier on arthritic or weak hands for this reason.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bypass Pruners | Anvil Pruners |
|---|---|---|
| Cut type | Clean slice (scissor action) | Crushing cut |
| Best for | Live, green stems | Dead, dry wood |
| Plant damage risk | Low | Higher (stem crushing) |
| Hand effort required | Moderate | Less (mechanical advantage) |
| Precision | High | Lower |
| Blade maintenance | Both blades need care | Single blade easier to sharpen |
Which Should You Buy?
For most South African home gardeners: bypass pruners are the better all-round choice. If you're pruning roses, shrubs, fruit trees, herbs, or flowers — which is the majority of garden pruning — bypass pruners will give you cleaner cuts and healthier plants.
Consider anvil pruners if you:
- Do a lot of dead wood removal
- Have arthritis or reduced hand strength
- Need to cut through very tough, dry, woody material regularly
Many experienced gardeners own both — bypass for live pruning, anvil for clearing dead wood.
What Size Do You Need?
Pruners are rated by the maximum stem diameter they can cut:
- Up to 15–18mm: Standard pruning shears — suitable for most roses, herbs, and light shrub pruning. The Gardena 18mm Soft Grip Pruning Shears are a great example.
- 18–25mm: Heavy-duty secateurs — for thicker rose canes and shrub branches.
- 25–40mm+: You need loppers, not pruners. Loppers have long handles for leverage on thicker branches.
Never force pruners on a branch that's too thick — you'll damage the tool and make a poor cut. Move up to loppers or a pruning saw instead.
How to Keep Your Pruners Sharp
Even the best pruners become useless when blunt. Signs your pruners need sharpening:
- You have to squeeze hard to cut through stems that used to be easy
- The cut leaves a crushed or ragged edge instead of a clean slice
- The blades are visibly nicked or dull
Sharpen bypass pruners with a fine whetstone or diamond sharpening file on the bevelled cutting blade only. Clean and oil the blades after every use to prevent rust and keep the pivot smooth.
Shop Pruning Shears at GP Lawnmowers
Ready to upgrade your pruning tools before winter pruning season? Browse our range of quality pruning shears and garden hand tools — built to last through many South African winters.